Tiltable divider plate



Nov. 18, 1958 w. R. SENECHAL TILTABLE DIVIDER PLATE Filed Nov. 19, 1956 INVENTOR WALLACE R. SENECHAL" B'Y a /1 W MTLFORNEY United States Patent l TILTABLE DIVIDER PLATE Wallace R. Senechal, North Tonawanda, N. Y., assignol' to Sperry Rand Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 19, 1956, Serial No. 623,127

4 Claims. (Cl. 129-31) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in divider plates for file drawers and similar receptacles.

The main object of the invention is to provide a simple, 'eflicient, and economical construction of mechanism whereby a divider plate can with the utmost case be manipulated to be disposed in any desired position within the drawer and maintain said position automatically.

In general and brief terms the invention includes a track member disposed longitudinally along the bottom of the receptacle with a series of spaced stop members thereon, a guide plate held within the track member for slidable movement therealong, said guide plate having an aperture through which a lower portion of the divider plate extends, said opening permitting the tilting of the divider plate, and means on the lower portion of the divider plate to engage the stops when the plate is tilted said means being free of said stops when the plate is moved to a vertical raised position whereby the divider plate and the guide plate may be freely and easily moved along the :bottom of the drawer to a desired position and then tilted one way or the other to maintain this desired position.

The present preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, of which,

Fig. l is a partial perspective view of the plate within the file drawer;

Fig. 2 is a partial vertical cross section through the divider plate taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the divider plate tilted in another direction from that shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the divider plate in a vertical position;

Fig. 5 is a partial vertical cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a horizonal cross section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the divider guide plate.

As shown in the drawings, the device is employed in a file drawer 10 or similar receptacle, having side walls 11 and 12 and a bottom wall 13/ The bottom wall 13 of the drawer is provided with a longitudinal recess 14 formed integrally out of the material of the bottom wall. In this recess is tight-fitted a track member 15 having upper side edges inwardly turned to form flanges .16 and 17. The bottom of the track member 15 is struck up at spaced intervals to form projecting teeth 18, which act as stops for the divider plate 19.

The divider plate 19 near the bottom on one face is provided with a recessed portion 20 in which is disposed an auxiliary plate 21 preferably welded therein. The lower portions of the plates 19 and 21 are apertured to provide a passage 22 through which, if desired, a card retaining rod may be passed. The lower ends of the plates 19 and 21 are flared outwardly as at 23 and 24, and at their bottom edges are bent horizontally to form flanges 25 and 26.

2,860,643 Patented Nov. 18, 1958 The lower portions of the plates 19 and :21 pass through a cross-shaped opening in a guide member 27. This member has its top surface lying slightly above the inwardly turned flanges 16 and 17 of the track member 15 as seen in Fig. 5. The side longitudinal edges of this guide member 27 are bent downwardly as flanges 28 and 29 (Fig. 5) and extend under the flanges 16 and 17. At each end of the side flanges 28 and 29 they are curved upwardly as at 30 and downwardly as at 31 so as to lie closely adjacent the flanges 16 and 17 and the bottom of the track member 15 so as to prevent undue displacement of the guide member as it moves along the track. The cross-shaped opening in the top surface of the guide plate is longer in the transverse direction than in the longitudinal direction as clearly shown in Fig. 7. The four inner corners such as 33 of the surface 27 around this opening 32 clearly prevent the flanges or feet 25 and 26 from tilting beyond a predetermined amount as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 6.

In the operation of the device, when the divider plate is lifted to a vertical position as shown in Fig. 4, the feet or flanges 25 and 26 are in a plane above the tops of the teeth 18 so that the plate and the guide 27 may be easily slid forward or backward to any desired position. When the desired position is thus reached the plate is allowed to be lowered and tilted in one direction or the other and will be held in that position. As shown in Fig. 2 the plate is tilted so that the flange 25 bears against an upraised tooth 18 and the other flange 26 limits the undersurface of the guide surface 27. In the other position of the plate shown in Fig. 3, the flange 25 limits against the undersurface of the guide surface 27 and the other flange 26 rests on the upper sloping surface of one of the teeth 18. In either tilted position of the plate which may be caused by pressure thereagainst of material in the drawer 10 it is clear that the plate will be maintained in this position. On the other hand it is clear that the plate only need be lifted to a vertical position whereupon it may be easily slid back and forth as desired.

While I have described what I consider to be a highly desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many changes in form could be made without departing from the invention, and I therefore, do not limit myself to the exact form shown herein and described, nor to anything less than the whole of my invention as hereinbefore set forth, and as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a file drawer having a bottom, a track in the bottom of the drawer and extending longitudinally thereof, said track having a series of spaced upwardly projecting stop elements, a guide plate slidable along and above said track, means on said track and guide plate cooperating to permit the plate to slide along and above said track, said guide plate being apertured, a divider plate having a portion extending through said aper- I ture but disconnected from said guide plate, and having at its lower end outwardly and oppositely flared flanges and capable of being tilted in one direction or another in said aperture, the vertical distance between the stop elements on the track and the under surface of the guide plate permitting the tilting of the divider plate, the flanges at the bottom of the divider plate when tilted respectively engaging the stop elements and the underside of the guide plate to hold the divider plate in this position when tilted.

2. The invention of claim 1, in which the vertical distance between the stop elements on the track and the under surface of the guide plate is such that the divider plate may be lifted in the aperture of the guide plate to a vertical position in which the flanges on its bottom aredisposed in a plane above the stop elements in the track and the divider plate and guide plate may be easily moved along the track to any desired position.

3. The invention of claim 1 in which the track has inwardly turned flanges on its opposite edges and the guide plate has lateral flanges which lie beneath the flanges on the track to hold the guide plate within the track but allows it to be slidable therein.

4. The invention of claim 1 in which the track has inwardly turned flanges on its opposite edges and the guide plate has lateral flanges which lie beneath the flanges on the track to hold the guide plate within the track but allows it to be slidable therein, the guide plate flanges at each end thereof having downwardly and upwardly projecting portions to lie closely adjacent the respective bottom of the track and the underside of the 15 flanges on the track to limit the vertical displacement of the guide plate within the track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,289,525 Nussey Dec. 31, 1918 1,918,765 Lombardini July 18, 1933 2,669,237 Straubel Feb. 16, 1954 1 2,759,480 Parent Aug. 21, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,117 Great Britain Dec. 14, 1908 933,880 France Jan. 5, 1948 444,986 Italy Feb. 3, 1949 

